Zoe Whittall in Wild Failure: Stories writes about the struggles of an underclass of queer women in Canada who by and large are invisible to many. Robbed of power and resources in a capitalist and patriarchal country, they exist on the margins. Many authors cover the same ground, often just as successfully although I particularly enjoy Whittall’s writing. My wife has called the bright cool bulbs I’ve put in the bathroom “alien autopsy” lights, and I love that as a description of the harsh light that some authors cast on their characters. Katherena Vermette layers anti-Indigeneity on top of other struggles in here novels, for instance, but her settings are warm hugs and gauzy lighting in comparison to Whittall’s unsparing description. In 10 stories, Whittall explores a moment-in-time in the lives of her characters. They face poverty, violence and emotional abuse, and it’s not easy reading. But the characters are also people with whom we can empathize with enough universality in the novel to engross the general reader. It’s a well-paced and well-written contribution to CanLit in 2024, and well worth the read. 4/5